We are now seeing offerings from a couple of sources for ETs for ~$1000 vs the ~$4000 dollar products that clubs have been using now for several years. The $1000 dollar price range looks favorable for many clubs that can not afford the $4000 ETs. For use for XTC what are the limitations for the XTC application of the $1000 ETs vs the $4000 ETs.
Electronic Targets $1K vs $4K ?
- Thread starter chkunz
- Start date
Good information, thanks. One of our club members has ordered a ShotMarker for us to try and learn on. We would like to eventually buy several to allow us to run our XTC matches electronically. Our XTC attendance is down and we think this may allow us to save our XTC program. This is not feasible for our club at the $4K price range but the $1K price is doable.
Awesome. This was exactly the reason I brought this product to market. E-targets are integral to the future of the sport and someone needed to get the price down to affordable levels so that most clubs could take advantage of the technology. I look forward to your feedback with the test unit.
SOLO is a sub-$1000 e-target made by Silver Mountain Targets (my company).
XTC shooting is a hard one - both for shooters, and for e-target designers.
The only open-sensor e-target system I know of that can outperform SOLO in XTC applications is SMT's $3800 "G2-8-mic" system. Several shooters here have direct personal experience firing XTC on the twenty lanes of G2-8 SMT targets installed at the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol club during the 2018 Orange Blossom Regional. It (the SMT e-target system performance) wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a real-world, many-day, many-lane XTC match fired on e-targets, with problems kept down to an arguably livable level. Our sub-$1000 SOLO is actually _nearly_ as good as our almost-$4000 G2-8 system when it comes to two characteristics vital to running an XTC match on e-targets: accuracy, and minimizing shot loss rate. The key reason behind this is our SMT sensor design.
How good is SOLO? And should you consider it for yourself or your club? For the first time ever publicly, I am prepared to make a couple of claims here, which I hope people will think about and I hope people will subject to independent testing and validation and scrutiny.
My claims are these. Of all the sub-$1000 open-sensor e-targets on the market:
Let's put some numbers to it. An e-target system with sensors not designed to SMT standards could have a shot loss rate FOUR TIMES as high as SOLO if 10 targets are in use, or 6x as high if 15 target are in use, and 8x as high if 20x are in use. Basically, the more targets you add, the more lopsided SOLO's advantage becomes. The technical reasons would require another thread to discuss, but this is the reason we pour our heart and soul into sensor design.
Or maybe a different way to explain the SOLO shot loss advantage. If your club is operating fifteen lanes of e-targets and conducting a 200Y or 300Y rapid fire match, then over time and on average:
I am prepared to lay these claims on the line here because I am confident they will be borne out by anybody anywhere testing our gear and comparing it to anything else on the market.
- Daniel
XTC shooting is a hard one - both for shooters, and for e-target designers.
The only open-sensor e-target system I know of that can outperform SOLO in XTC applications is SMT's $3800 "G2-8-mic" system. Several shooters here have direct personal experience firing XTC on the twenty lanes of G2-8 SMT targets installed at the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol club during the 2018 Orange Blossom Regional. It (the SMT e-target system performance) wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a real-world, many-day, many-lane XTC match fired on e-targets, with problems kept down to an arguably livable level. Our sub-$1000 SOLO is actually _nearly_ as good as our almost-$4000 G2-8 system when it comes to two characteristics vital to running an XTC match on e-targets: accuracy, and minimizing shot loss rate. The key reason behind this is our SMT sensor design.
How good is SOLO? And should you consider it for yourself or your club? For the first time ever publicly, I am prepared to make a couple of claims here, which I hope people will think about and I hope people will subject to independent testing and validation and scrutiny.
My claims are these. Of all the sub-$1000 open-sensor e-targets on the market:
- none outperforms SOLO's accuracy and shot loss rate
- as far as shot loss rate, SOLO starts to outperform as soon as there are three targets in use on the range
- as more targets (beyond three) are added, SOLO's shot loss rate advantage keeps growing and growing
Let's put some numbers to it. An e-target system with sensors not designed to SMT standards could have a shot loss rate FOUR TIMES as high as SOLO if 10 targets are in use, or 6x as high if 15 target are in use, and 8x as high if 20x are in use. Basically, the more targets you add, the more lopsided SOLO's advantage becomes. The technical reasons would require another thread to discuss, but this is the reason we pour our heart and soul into sensor design.
Or maybe a different way to explain the SOLO shot loss advantage. If your club is operating fifteen lanes of e-targets and conducting a 200Y or 300Y rapid fire match, then over time and on average:
- a system of 15 lanes of SOLO can be expected to lose one shot per relay (of 15 shooters firing 10 shots RF each). So on average ONE alibi or refire is needed per relay, which is the fault of the e-target system
- a 15-lane system using sensors not up to SMT's standards could be expected to lose up to six shots per relay - so an average of SIX alibis or refires are needed per relay, which are the fault of the e-target system
I am prepared to lay these claims on the line here because I am confident they will be borne out by anybody anywhere testing our gear and comparing it to anything else on the market.
- Daniel
I personally hope that the electronic targets do spread to more competition ranges for F-Class. I mist matches at times, because I don't feel up to being able to handle pulling targets all day when it gets too hot out. Lots of others feel the same way. Most of the competition long range shooters I see are getting up in age.
As an F Class competitor and member of Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club, I too like electronic targets, to a point. they are as we all know, are not without their issues. whether it be shot detection/ghosting issues or wifi connectivity problems, things can go south and have a huge impact on a match.
because of this, the membership at Port Malabar voted to spend the money necessary to rebuild the berm system that allows pit pullers to be present during shooting. the original berm was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma. this will allow for the contingency of placing pullers in the pits should the electronic system go down. i agree whole heartily to this approach.
we also have upgraded the Silver Mountain Target system to the new microphone array. my experience with it so far indicates that it has improved the overall reliability of the system.
my Service Rifle friends tell me the litmus test for the new system will be in rapid fire stages with many shooters on the line. apparently, this has been a problem area in the past. of course, those guys are crazy anyways, so what do they know?
because of this, the membership at Port Malabar voted to spend the money necessary to rebuild the berm system that allows pit pullers to be present during shooting. the original berm was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma. this will allow for the contingency of placing pullers in the pits should the electronic system go down. i agree whole heartily to this approach.
we also have upgraded the Silver Mountain Target system to the new microphone array. my experience with it so far indicates that it has improved the overall reliability of the system.
my Service Rifle friends tell me the litmus test for the new system will be in rapid fire stages with many shooters on the line. apparently, this has been a problem area in the past. of course, those guys are crazy anyways, so what do they know?
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Shot a match this year at Wildcat by Lafayette, IN on their 300 yard SMT system.
They had the Odd targets shoot their rapids, followed by the Evens, then repeated for the second string. Leaving a one target gap and NO MISSED SHOTS all day. First time I was truly impressed by the electronics.
They always run a great match there!
They had the Odd targets shoot their rapids, followed by the Evens, then repeated for the second string. Leaving a one target gap and NO MISSED SHOTS all day. First time I was truly impressed by the electronics.
They always run a great match there!
Our club has access to the Air Force KD range at AEDC which has 27 firing points on 9 foot centers so we have the option of spacing ETs on 18 or even 27 foot centers as needed.
Here's one of our answers to XTC matches.
http://shooting.hexsystems.com.au/
Reade Range is LIVE in Real-Time in one of their many XTC matches. Every shot is counted. No cross lane interference. Targets spaced side by side. Set targets up, plug in 2 wires. Positive and Negative, turn on servers, monitors, antennas. And Shoot. Up-grades are done.
The only E-Target with 56 independent data points/co-ordinates per projectile.
Targets mounted on top of the ground. No shooters in the pits, (just in case).
http://shooting.hexsystems.com.au/
Reade Range is LIVE in Real-Time in one of their many XTC matches. Every shot is counted. No cross lane interference. Targets spaced side by side. Set targets up, plug in 2 wires. Positive and Negative, turn on servers, monitors, antennas. And Shoot. Up-grades are done.
The only E-Target with 56 independent data points/co-ordinates per projectile.
Targets mounted on top of the ground. No shooters in the pits, (just in case).
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